The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1887-11-23
RoygRs OF TIE PLAINS.


Steed of the Pampas--A Question.
Very young students, in their first at
tempt at composition, often inform us
that the horse is useful animal. This
sweeping generalization is subject to inn
portant notifications before it is accepted
in all communities. There are many
thousands of horses that toll not like
their noble progenitors, but so like the
wind where it listath, and are looked
upon as intolerable nuisances in the civ
ilized regions they sometimes invade.
Our Australian friends, for instance, are
no lovers of the horse in his untamed
state, and some of the colonies set a price
upon his head, and do all they can to
stimulate movements for his destruction.
Seven thousand wild horses were shot in
New South Wales alone in 1875. These
rovers of the plans play the mischief
with domesticated animals when they
come among them, and the colonists are
very much disguised to observe with
what ease the noble horse relapses into
barbarism, and, forgetting his oats and
other comforts of civilization, runs off
with his wild brethren who have not en-
joyed his superior advantages.
1t must be confessed that our horses
need the restraints imposed upon them to
prevent them from disgracing their an
cestors, who were certainly domesticated
when they were introduced into this
country. Years ago it used to be the
custom in our southwestern territory to
brand the young stock, and even many
work animals, and turn them loose to
shift for themselves for year or two.
When they were wanted they were all
ways as wild as Mexican mustangs. Mr..
Powell wrote book ON the best methods
of tanning wild horses. The specimens
on which he exerted his talents as a
tanner were for the most part formerly
domesticated animals, who had forgot
ten all about their old restraints while
wandering over the plains of our south
western territory.
Travellers in the western territories are
no longer in danger of such Eruption Of
horse flesh as Murray describes in his
'sTravels in North America. He not
only witnessed stampede of thousands
of panic stricken horses, but tho living
torrent swept along toward and over his
camp, trampling skins and dried meat
into the ground, knocking down some Of
the tents and taking with them all his
horses except his riding mare, who vainly
struggled to break her fastenings. They
still range, in much smaller herds than
formerly, on the plains of the upper
Colorado; but the wild horse, like the
buffalo, is disappearing before the adj
vance of the white man.
In spite of the experience of the Aus
traliars, many peoples, chiefly savage,
have been able to turn the wild horse to
good account. Hundreds of thousands
of Mexican mustangs have been reduced
to servitude. The wild horse Of the
South American pampas, which three
centuries ago, only fifty years after the
horse was introduced from Europe, had
spread to regions as remote as Patagonia,
has been tanned by thousands, and has
become the useful servant of Indian
tribes.
Naturalists often discuss the question
whether there is now in the world such a
creature as an aboriginal, or truly wild
horse. We know very well that the wild
horses of the western hemisphere are all
descendants Of domesticated animals.
Where, then, is the aboriginal wild horse
to be found? The question will probably
never be settled. Mr.. J. III. Steel, who
recently read an interesting paper on
"Wild Horses" before the Bombay Nat
urai History society, thinks the evidence
is in favor Of the existence Of the wild
horse IN central Asia. Gesner, the great
alt n fxy IN Of n.